


Five Different Ways

by jackabelle73



Category: Once Upon a Time (TV)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-22
Updated: 2016-04-23
Packaged: 2018-06-03 19:58:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,906
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6624160
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/jackabelle73/pseuds/jackabelle73
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five short fics depicting different ways that the Heroes could possibly find out about the Rumbelle baby. These are set around the time of Our Decay & Her Handsome Hero, though it’s not necessary to place any of them in the timeline too precisely. Each ficlet is completely independent of the others; they only share a common theme.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So I've recently dived into the deep end of Once Upon a Time fandom, after marathoning the first 4.5 seasons in January. This is my first attempt at writing OUaT fic, but I have other ideas and may be posting more OUaT fic in the future.
> 
> All five chapters of this are already written, and the rest will get posted here on AO3 shortly. The first four parts are up on Tumblr already. I'm whitesheepcbd on there as well. The fifth part will be posted this weekend, here and on Tumblr.

His moms were weakening, he could tell despite their defensive stances and their verbal insistence that he go with the rest of the group. Normally Henry wouldn’t want to be left behind, but right now he had something more important to do than stare at the door of the elevator in the library.

“I’m as safe here as I am anywhere in the Underworld,” he reminded them. He watched as they exchanged a look. Sometimes he missed the days of being the spoiled only child of the town mayor, with no other family. Nowadays his family was so complicated. Trying to nudge them along, he said, “I really want to try writing while I’m awake and, you know, actually aware of what I’m doing. And I’ll be able to concentrate better with everyone gone.”

“Fine,” Emma said finally, with a final look at his other mom. It was spooky how they could discuss him without saying anything. “You can stay and work on your writing. We can use all the help we can get.”

“But you stay here, in the apartment,” Regina said firmly. “Belle’s going to stay and work on the translations we need, so she’ll be downstairs, but it should be quiet with the rest of us gone.” 

Several hugs and kisses from both his moms and his grandparents later, plus a clap on the back from Hook, the door closed behind them. Belle was already working at the table, surrounded by books and papers that he couldn’t begin to decipher. He walked up the steps slowly and told himself to wait five minutes before going back downstairs, in case someone came back for a forgotten item. Reaching under his pillow, he pulled out the pages that had filled themselves during his last nap.

He’d told his moms that nothing had appeared when he woke up, because this…he didn’t know what to make of this. And it seemed kind of personal to those involved, and he couldn’t see any way it affected the heroes’ current plan to open the elevator, so he’d decided not to tell them.

He read through the pages one more time before descending the stairs. Belle was still at the table, surrounded by her books of obscure runes and symbols. How many written languages could she translate, anyway? She didn’t look up as he approached, focused on comparing the writing of one book with the drawings in another before writing something down.

“Belle?”

“Henry.” She looked up, but wasn’t really seeing him. He’d been around too many practitioners of magic not to recognize that looking-through-you gaze when they were immersed in their craft, and he’d long suspected that books and knowledge were Belle’s own version of magic. In fact, she’d once said as much to him.

She glanced back down at her books and he could tell he was pulling her away from what she really wanted to work on, but this was important. 

He pulled out a chair and sat, holding his pages below the table where she couldn’t see them. Not yet.

“Did the others tell you that I’m The Author now?” he asked. He knew they had.

“Yes. I think it’s great. I’m sure you’re writing wonderful stories, Henry. You’ve always had an appreciation for the written word.” She put a hand over his on the table and squeezed, smiling warmly.

“Well, I’m not so much writing them as just…finding them when I wake up,” he admitted. “I told my moms and my grandparents that I didn’t find anything, this last time. But I did.”

She set down her pencil slowly. “Why would you not tell them?”

“It’s about you and Grandpa Gold,” he blurted. “And Hades. And…someone else.”

She sat back, regarding him for a long unnerving moment. “Do you have the pages, Henry?”

Wordlessly, he passed them to her, a bit crumpled now with how hard he’d been gripping them. He watched as she skimmed through them quickly, taking in the illustration of Hades, holding out a crystal ball to Grandpa Gold with a mocking look, Belle clearly visible in the ball’s reflection. Hades held a scroll in the other hand, unfurled, the word CONTRACT at the top. Grandpa Gold looked on the verge of tears. Henry had never seen him like that, not even when he killed Pan and himself to save the town.

“Is it true?” he asked. “So far everything that’s appeared in my stories has been true.”

“Yes.” She heaved a deep breath. “It’s true. I only just found out myself yesterday. Rumple told me when I arrived in the Underworld. He told me everything.”

“Umm…congratulations?” he offered, hesitant. People always seemed to offer congratulations when a woman got pregnant. Well, unless it was Zelena, that just made his mom Regina angry and sad. And Robin angry, sad, and confused. But most of the time, it seemed like a baby was cause for congratulations. In this case, though…

Belle gave a soft laugh, hand over her mouth as if to hold in even that minor amount of mirth, and her eyes were shiny as she looked at him. Oh no, had he made her cry? “Thank you, Henry. You’re actually the first person to say that to me.”

He relaxed a little, seeing that she didn’t seem on the verge of hysterics which he had no idea how he would handle.

“You’re welcome. What are you and Grandpa going to do? About Hades, and the contract?”

“We don’t know yet. I was in a bit of shock yesterday when he told me, and we haven’t really discussed our options yet.” She tidied the pages and set them on top of the book she’d been studying, smoothing down their wrinkled edges. “I think right now, I’m going to make myself a cup of tea, and read over all this carefully. There might be details in here that Rumple didn’t think to tell me yesterday.”

She started to get up, but Henry waved at her to stay. “You read. I’ll make the tea for you,” he offered. He moved to the kitchen, turning on the kettle and getting out the makings for tea which surprisingly, this Underworld apartment was stocked with.

He looked up to see Belle watching him. “You’re a good boy, Henry. Thank you.” She turned back to the pages, beginning to read, while he wondered how weird it would be to find out, all at once, that your husband was a dark sorcerer again, and you were pregnant, and your baby had been bargained away before it was even conceived?

Ewww…now he was thinking about the baby’s conception. His Grandpa Gold and Belle had had sex. Of course he knew they’d had sex, they were married, but now she was pregnant and that was proof they’d had sex at least once, and he couldn’t stop his brain from picturing it. Ewww. Come to think of it, wasn’t his grandpa kind of old to be having a baby? These thoughts were worse than that time he and Emma had walked in on his other grandparents in bed together. He hadn’t even understood what was going on at the time, but flushed now, just thinking about the moment, much later, when he’d figured it out. But he’d never thought of them as typical grandparents, with the curse stopping their aging process and all that. They looked the same age as his mom Emma. He snuck a look at Belle, still at the table studying the pages he’d given her, then back down to the tray he was assembling. She was a lot younger than his Grandpa Gold. If she was Grandpa’s age, she wouldn’t have gotten pregnant. They’d taken off all their clothes and—and—his brain stuttered on the specifics, failing to picture it but trying all the same.

“Henry?” Belle was approaching the breakfast bar. “What’s that look on your face?” 

“Nothing!” he yelped, feeling sure that she knew what he’d just been thinking. He shook his head. “Nothing.” The kettle whistled and he grabbed for it.

“Henry, I have a question. You said that everything you’ve written so far has been true? Every detail?”

“Yeah,” he answered, focusing too hard on pouring hot water into a cup. If he was looking at the cup then he wasn’t looking at her, imagining her and his grandpa naked.

“The illustrations too?”

“I guess so.”

“Forget about the tea, Henry, I need to speak to Rumple.” He looked up at the excitement in her voice. She was grabbing her brown coat and putting it on.

“What? Why?” He glanced at the pages she’d left on the bar. Something she read in there had spurred her to action.

“This,” she stabbed a finger at the illustrated page on top, pointing at the contract Hades held. “Rumple didn’t tell me there was a written contract, and I didn’t think to ask because I was in shock and so many of his deals are verbal anyway.” She looked down, buttoning up her coat. “If there’s a written contract, I want to see it. There might be a loophole, something that would help us.” She picked up the pages and folded them, putting them in an inside coat pocket.

“Do you think Hades will just agree to show it to you?” he asked, as she headed for the door. She whirled to face him, fists clenched at her sides.

“I believe I’m what’s called an ‘interested party’ and I have a right to see that contract. I’ll find a way.”

Looking at her in that moment, Henry believed her. He actually felt a bit sorry for Hades. At a loss for words, he only nodded.

The door was open before she stopped again, looking back at him. “We haven’t told anyone else, Henry. About the baby. I’d prefer we keep it to ourselves for now.”

“Sure,” he agreed. It didn’t affect anyone else or their mission to get out of the Underworld, so he didn’t see why not. “I can keep a secret.”

“Thank you, Henry!” And then she was gone with a quick thumping on the stairs, and he was left with a half-made cup of tea, wondering what his Author’s Pen might write next.


	2. Chapter 2

Regina stepped down off the ladder, having written the last of the symbols across the top of the elevator doors. She stepped back to survey her work as Belle hovered at her side.

“Do you really think this will work?” she asked.

“You did the translations, you tell me,” Regina challenged.

The petite brunette chewed her lip, scanning Regina’s handiwork. It had taken her hours to write it all on the doors, and that was only after all the hours of research that Belle had put into finding and translating the correct symbols for the spell they needed.

“The translation is as accurate as I could get it,” Belle answered.

“Well, with Gold being held hostage down there, I know you were motivated. I’m sure the translations are good.”

Belle nodded, not taking her eyes off the ancient writing as though checking her work over and over, looking for some possible mistake.

“You can blink the lights, bring Emma and Hook in. I’m ready,” she told David, who was nearest the door.

Something had been off about Belle since they’d found her in the woods a few days ago, carrying Robin’s baby. She’d acknowledged that she’d seen Gold but said that he had other things to attend to and it was safer for her to be with the rest of the group. But something about the terse nature of her account made her wonder if they’d fought over something. Well, nothing new there. But something more had shaken Belle’s usual optimism. She looked haunted, even more so since she’d gone looking for Rumplestiltskin the next day and, failing to find him, figured out that Hades was holding him.

“Hey.” She placed a hand lightly on Belle’s arm. “We’re going to get him out of there. And take down Hades, and get home.”

“I hope so,” she responded, but without enthusiasm.

Regina sighed, giving up as the door opened. They had more than one reason for needing Gold out of Hades’ clutches. They needed to defeat Hades anyway, and this elevator led to both of them, so two birds and all that. Rumplestiltskin could, in all likelihood, help them out of the Underworld. And take his moody wife off Regina’s hands. Let him deal with her upset and figure out what had caused it. Him, probably. But for all that the two of them fought frequently, and seemed more than capable of hurting each other, they also understood each other in a way that no one else did. Regina had known Rumplestiltskin for a long time, and never would have guessed that he was capable of maintaining a relationship like he had now. Of course, that was also due in large part to Belle’s forgiving nature, but even allowing for that, Regina was continually surprised that their relationship endured. And jealous, even if she would admit that to no one but herself. She thought of Robin, hiding in the forest to keep his baby safe, and wondered if she was tempting fate to hope that he would continue to stick by her in spite of her faults.

Emma was greeting her parents with rather more enthusiasm than a few hours’ separation warranted, and Regina cleared her throat to get their attention, while also focusing her own back on the task at hand. “If you’re done hugging it out, Emma?” She turned to the rest of the team. “The rest of you should probably stand back.”

Everyone who’d come from Storybrooke—minus Rumplestiltskin and Robin—was in the Underworld library ready to storm the dragon’s keep. If they could get these elevator doors open.

Emma stepped up beside her, face drawn with tension. “Light magic, right?”

“As light as you can make it. If you think your magic is turning dark, Emma, you have to stop, understand? Dark magic will only make the protection spell stronger.”

The blonde nodded, holding up her hands to direct her power at the doors. “Understood.”

Regina took a breath, hoping one last time that all the Darkness had truly been purged from Emma’s magic. If it hadn’t, this could go very, very wrong. Making eye contact with Emma, she nodded and they both focused their magic on that crack between the doors. The light was almost blinding for a moment, then the doors began to part. Regina was vaguely aware of victorious whispers behind her as the doors opened fully…then silence as they all saw what was behind them. A second set of doors.

“You didn’t know about the second set of doors?” Hook asked.

“No, I didn’t,” Regina bit out. She approached the double doors cautiously. They looked identical to the ones she and Emma had just magicked open. Normally, they’d be operated by the controls to the right of the doors.

“Well, who’s to say there’s any magic on this second set, aye? Why don’t we just try it?”

Hook strode forward and reached for the handle, and Regina make no attempt to stop him. Someone needed to try it, and better the pirate than her. As soon as his fingers made contact with the handle, he was thrown back, landing heavily on his back several feet away.

“That’s why,” Regina told him, only looking back long enough to be sure he wasn’t badly hurt. Emma and David were helping him off the floor. “Now everyone shut up and let me focus for a minute.”

Placing her hands near the doors without touching them, she closed her eyes and concentrated, letting the echo of the spell wrap around her, trying to separate its various components so she could get some idea how to dismantle it…till she recognized the particular signature of this magic.

“It’s no use,” she said, dropping her hands. “It’s sealed with blood magic. None of us can open this door.”

“Hades sealed it with blood magic?” Snow asked.

“No. I’m not even sure the God of the Underworld has blood flowing in his veins. This door was sealed by Rumplestiltskin himself. Hades made him lock the door of his own prison, in such a way that no one could get in from the outside.”

“Is there no other way to defeat blood magic?” Belle asked. “Let me try, I’m his wife, that must count for something–” She strode forward, clearly ready to risk it.

Regina held an arm out to bar her way, shaking her head. “If Baelfire were alive, he could get in. The genetic children of the one who used the blood magic are included in the spell, unless the caster deliberately excludes them. I’m sorry, Belle. Blood magic doesn’t care about marriage ties.”

“What about Henry?” Emma asked. “He’s Gold’s grandson by blood.”

“Yeah, Mom, let me try.” He looked entirely too eager to contribute, and Regina almost wished that he could do it, knowing how important it would make him feel. But she’d never known blood magic to work that way and she wasn’t going to risk her son being thrown across the room attempting an impossible task.

“It doesn’t extend to grandchildren, Henry. I’m sorry, but we’ll have to find another way.”

“Well…shall we go back to the apartment and regroup, then?” David asked. “We’ll come up with another plan, we always do.”

Regina turned to glare at the doors. “Damn, I hate being defeated by magic.”

Snow stepped over to her and gave her a quick one-arm hug. “Don’t worry, we’ll get this—Belle, what are you doing?”

Regina turned in time to see Belle reach for the control lever, the same one that had tossed Hook across the room. “Stop!” She stepped forward, not even sure what she planned to do…then stopped short as the lever flipped, the elevator gears started grinding, and Belle was still standing there unaffected.

“How did you…” Hook started to ask, then trailed off as Belle turned to them, one hand protectively on her midsection.

“I may not have Rumple’s blood,” she said softly, as the elevator doors opened beside her and everyone stared. “But I’m carrying someone who does.”


	3. Chapter 3

David almost ran into Belle as she stopped on the threshold of the Underworld Granny’s, taking it all in.

“Don’t worry, you get used to it.” He urged her the rest of the way in, so Snow and Henry could enter behind him.

“I’m not sure that’s a reason not to worry,” she responded, letting her eyes roam over the diner’s gaunt-faced patrons, the general air of malaise that lay over everything.

“They have real food, it’s okay.” Henry was taking a seat at the bar as he spoke, and David was glad to see that he was setting an example that this passed for normal here. The kid was resilient. He had to be, of course, given the past few years. David was proud of him every single day, and Snow, taking a seat next to Henry. And Emma, who was off with Hook investigating…something. They’d been cagey about which lead they were following, saying they’d give details if it actually led to anything useful.

“C’mon,” he said to Belle, who still hesitated by the door. They took their places at the bar where the blind witch was setting a cup of hot cocoa in front of Henry, coffee in front of Snow. She turned toward David but was brought up short when her sightless eyes passed over Belle.

“Ohh,” she breathed, as one discovering something new and marvelous. She leaned over the counter, staring blankly at Belle before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath in through her nose. Belle leaned back, looking at David and Snow on either side of her as if asking if this was also considered normal. The witch’s eyes opened and she smiled in obvious pleasure. “Boy or girl?” she asked in her breathy voice.

“Uh, no,” Snow intervened. “It’s okay, Belle, she offered me a choice of children or gingerbread when I first got here, but we straightened it out. Belle’s alive, like us,” she said firmly to the witch. “Add her to the list of people who need real food.”

“Of course she’s alive. I’m not that stupid.” The witch rolled her cloudy eyes in Snow’s direction. “And she knows what I’m asking.” She leaned in again, taking in another deep breath and looking blissful. “Are you having a boy? Or a girl? Or maybe one of each?” she asked, her excitement increasing. “I haven’t met any living twins since Hansel and Gretel came to steal from me. Oh, twins are wonderful.” She opened her eyes, finally, clapping her hands together in quiet applause.

David looked across Belle, still leaning back on her stool and looking trapped, to his wife who looked as shocked as he felt. Henry was looking back and forth between all of them, confused.

“Belle?” Snow reached out to her slowly, rubbing her shoulder when the other woman didn’t flinch away. David realized just how far back she was leaning, and put a hand behind her, ready to catch her in case she overbalanced. “Belle?” Snow asked again. “Are you pregnant?”

“Yes,” she answered slowly, as if in a dream. She hadn’t taken her gaze off the witch, who was now looking entirely too pleased with herself. Belle leaned forward suddenly, focused now. “How did you know that? I didn’t even know till Rumple told me!”

“He told you?” David asked, confused.

“That’s different,” Snow muttered.

“How did you know?” Belle demanded again.

“Well….” The witch was enjoying the attention entirely too much. David supposed their arrival in the Underworld counted as excitement for her. “As a blind witch, I had heightened senses and extra abilities that most don’t have. As a dead blind witch…let’s just say that living people are an anomaly here. And a live person who’s carrying new life…I’m not sure that’s ever happened. You stand out like a beacon in the dark, my dear. Once your condition becomes more obvious, all the dead will be drawn to you, craving the new life you represent. I’d stick close to your friends if I were you.” She paused, soaking up their shocked silence like applause as she smiled. “Now, what can I get you to eat? I know their regular orders, but not yours.”

“Umm, no thanks. I—I just need to get out of here.” She was already turning on her stool, ready to make her escape.

“Belle, wait.” Snow had a hand on her arm. “Spooky predictions aside, you need to eat. And this is the only place in the Underworld that has food we can eat. We’ve checked, believe me.” Belle looked back and forth between Snow and the witch. “You need to take care of yourself.”

“She’s right,” David added. “Taking care of your baby means taking care of yourself. You want to take care of your baby, right?”

Belle took a breath, as if bracing herself, then turned back around and nodded to the witch. “Right. Is there a menu?” 

She walked away, and the four at the counter sat in silence for a moment. Belle was staring at the bar, looking shell-shocked. The incident from yesterday was now making much better sense.

He’d gone with Snow and Regina to the pawn shop, to ask Gold’s help with a new plan, but as soon as they set foot inside and Regina called out, they’d been rendered mute, their tongues frozen in their mouths. Rumplestiltskin emerged from the back room, holding a finger to his lips as if that was necessary in addition to whatever magic he’d used on them. “We’ll talk outside,” he’d said in a quiet voice that nonetheless left zero room for argument.

Once outside the shop again—and David noticed that the bell didn’t ring when they opened the door—Gold released their voices with an elegant wave of his hand.

“What the hell, Rumple?” Regina was the first to react.

“Belle is asleep in the back room,” Gold stated, no hint of apology in his voice. “She’s had an emotionally trying couple of days, and I won’t allow her to be disturbed.” There was, however, a hint of threat in his voice as he focused on each of them in turn.

“We’ve all had an emotionally trying couple of days,” Snow pointed out.

“Yes, but I’m not married to any of you lot, something I’m grateful for on a daily basis. Now, what do you want?”

It turned out that when they relayed their latest plan for how to escape the Underworld, Gold shot it down with a perfectly plausible—and scathingly explained—reason why it wouldn’t work. They departed and the sorcerer went back in his shop, presumably to stand guard over his wife’s sleep, but David had wondered at Gold’s over-protective behavior. Not anymore.

“Congratulations, by the way,” Snow offered.

Belle managed a weak smile. “Thanks.”

Snow still had a hand on her arm. She moved to take her hand instead, holding it lightly. “You really didn’t know till Rumplestiltskin told you?”

Belle shook her head.

“How did he know?” Henry asked from Snow’s other side.

Belle looked up, finally, giving Snow’s hand a squeeze and taking in David on her left, Snow and Henry on her right. “Long story, Henry.”

The witch came back with menus for them, and they picked them up just for something to do. All of them but Belle already knew the diner’s limited options for living customers.

“Wait,” Henry said after a moment. “If you and my Grandpa Gold are having a baby, what will it be to me?” He screwed up his face, thinking. “My cousin?”

“No. The baby would have been Neal’s, Baelfire’s I mean, half-sibling if he’d lived. And Baelfire was your dad, so any siblings of his would be your aunt or uncle.” Snow patted him on the back. “Our family tree isn’t the easiest to figure out, is it?”

Henry shook his head over his hot cocoa.

David noticed that Belle was staring at her menu without seeming to see it. “Hey, it’ll be okay. Now we just have another reason to get out of here, that’s all.”

“We’ll be back above ground long before you start showing,” Snow promised.

“And Belle?” They all looked down the line at Henry. “You’re going to be a great mom.”

“Thanks, Henry.” She wasn’t entirely convincing, but then the witch was there to take their orders and while Belle asked questions about sandwiches, making sure they were safe to eat, David met Snow’s gaze. It wasn’t that long ago that she’d been pregnant, and given birth to their son. Their baby was still up there, waiting for them to come back. The witch’s subtle threat to Belle was a reminder. They didn’t belong here, and they all needed to get home.


	4. Chapter 4

The apartment was a flurry of activity as Regina helped Robin prepare to leave with his as-yet-unnamed baby and rough it in the woods, and the others gathered supplies for their next move, whatever that was. Belle had retreated to the couch on the far side of the apartment, watching the activity without really seeing it. The rest of the group had been in the Underworld for a few days and seemed to have their routine already, and there hadn’t been time for Belle to figure out where she fit in or how she could contribute. So she was removing herself for the moment.

She needed time to think anyway. The events of today were something she was still trying to process. Think about this rationally, she commanded herself. Let’s take the issues one by one.

She was pregnant. It hadn’t occurred to her to ask Rumple how he knew that, but it was a pretty safe assumption that magic was involved, and she didn’t question his announcement. They were going to have a baby together. She’d always known she wanted to be a mother one day. Apparently, that day had come, and she wasn’t sure she was ready for it, especially considering point number two.

The baby she was carrying had been promised to the Lord of the Underworld. It was an unwitting pawn in a deal that Rumple had struck long before he even knew Belle existed. He said he did it to save Bae. Well, she knew the lengths to which Rumple would go for his son. Past the initial shock of it all, she acknowledged to herself that he had undoubtedly made the best deal he could at the time, to save Bae’s life. It didn’t change the desperate situation they found themselves in now, but she could understand how it had happened. And…if Rumple had fought that hard for his first child, surely he would fight equally as hard for this one?

She put a hand on her still-flat stomach, spreading her fingers, trying to imagine a baby growing in there. She couldn’t be more than a few days pregnant. It would have been weeks before she would have realized it for herself. Most women wouldn’t find out this early in their pregnancy. Only she got to be informed of it by the child’s father, when the child in question was no larger than a speck. One of the ‘perks’ of being married to a sorcerer, she supposed.

Right. A dark sorcerer. Rumplestiltskin was the Dark One again. It occurred to her briefly to wonder how he’d even managed that, but it hardly mattered now. “The King of Loopholes,” Neal had called him. She hadn’t yet decided for sure how she felt about him taking the curse back, but at least it meant that they wouldn’t be facing Hades powerless. She had no doubt that Rumple’s mind was working on this problem right now, spinning round and round like his spinning wheel, producing ideas instead of gold. He’d find a way out of this contract. She had to have faith in that.

A baby’s cry pulled her from her thoughts, making her look up. Robin was attempting to feed a bottle to his daughter, while also directing Regina on what to pack. Upset at not being the sole center of attention, the infant wasn’t feeding very well. Belle went over and held out her arms.

“Here, let me take her. You focus on packing.” He hesitated, looking down at the baby in his arms. “It’s okay, I don’t mind.”

Regina paused in rolling up a blanket. “Robin, she got your baby safely to you even while contending with my sister. I think she can be trusted to feed her a bottle while you’re across the room.”

“Of course,” he said finally, with an apologetic look at Belle. “I suppose I’m just a little reluctant to let go of her, after today.”

“I understand.” She did understand, in a way that Robin didn’t know they had in common. She knew the fear of a parent whose child could fall under the control of a powerful magical being with questionable intentions.

They made the transfer without even taking the bottle from the infant’s mouth, and she made her way back over to the couch, using a pillow to prop up the arm holding the baby.

“Are you going off for an adventure in the woods?” she asked, as the baby sucked at the bottle, eyes drifting closed in contentment and paying no mind to the rambling of the person holding her. “You know, years from now when you can understand a little better, your daddy will tell everyone how he took you for your first camping trip when you were less than a month old. And anyone who isn’t here now will have a hard time believing it, but it’ll be all true. Your first story. Maybe it’ll even be in Henry’s book one day. After all, he’s practically your step-brother, I’m sure he’ll want to write about you. And you have a half-brother, his name is Roland. You haven’t had a chance to spend much time with either of your brothers yet, but I’m sure they’ll help take care of you and defend you from any villains. But only until you learn to defend yourself, because that’s important.”

The baby—and oh, how Belle wished she had a name to call her! —was falling asleep, her pursed lips falling slack around the nipple. She set the bottle down carefully and lifted the baby to her shoulder, patting her small back gently till she heard a quiet burp and the scent of digesting formula wafted past her face. Belle wrinkled her nose…not the most pleasant smell in the world. Still, she should probably get used to it.

She’d propped the baby on her knees facing her, one hand supporting her head as the infant slept on oblivious, before her mind caught up and completed the thought. No, she wouldn’t be using formula for her own baby. She would choose to nurse; she knew that without even deliberating. It just felt right.

With the baby’s weight propped on her knees, she used her free hand to trace down her adorable snub nose, the roundness of her cheeks and over the crown of her head with its impossibly soft hair. She tried to study individual features, guessing at which the little girl had inherited from Robin and which from Zelena, but any similarity to either of them was concealed in the soft curves of babyness. As for other traits that this child might have taken from its two very different parents…only time would tell, she supposed.

And which traits would her baby have, from her and Rumple? She hoped it would have his brown eyes. She loved his eyes, the way they’d light up with devotion when he looked at her. He had a greater capacity for loving deeply than anyone she’d ever met, and she was aware of her own ability to love just as fiercely. No matter what, their child would be loved.

And would it inherit her forgiving nature? Rumple’s mental shrewdness? Could she pass on her love of books? Would the baby have a talent for magic? She lifted the little girl she held on her knees and placed her back in the crook of her arm, letting her sleep comfortably cradled against her own warmth. She adjusted the blankets to be sure the little feet were covered, aware that her own mind was dancing around the question she really didn’t want to face. What if her baby inherited Rumple’s darkness?

“Belle? I can take her now.”

She looked up, startled, so wrapped up in the baby and her own thoughts that she’d forgotten the other people in the room. Robin stood before her, his hands held out. Belle gave a kiss to the small forehead, whispered, “Have a great adventure, little one,” and carefully handed her back to her father. “She didn’t quite finish,” she said, as she handed the bottle back as well.

The archer took it, but his attention was focused on Belle’s face. “Are you all right?” 

“Of course.” She tried to smile.

“Excuse me for saying so, but…you look like you’ve been crying.” His brow furrowed in concern.

She raised her hands to her cheeks, realizing they were wet. She hadn’t even known. She looked quickly to see if anyone else had noticed, but they all seemed too busy to have looked her way. Robin sat on the couch next to her as she wiped at her face with a coat sleeve. The baby let out a whimper and he offered the bottle to her. She quieted immediately, mouth busy with her meal.

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

She didn’t look at him, but instead focused on the baby he held. Maybe it wasn’t fair of her to ask this, but she needed to. “Are you worried for her? I mean, for how she might turn out, considering….?”

“Ahh. Considering that she has a wicked witch for a mother.” He nodded in comprehension. “Truthfully, yes. I worry about her for a thousand different reasons, and that’s one of the biggest.”

“So what do you do? How do you cope?” She could hear the plaintiveness in her voice but couldn’t help herself from pursuing this. Oddly enough, with three women in the room who were already mothers, it was the father sitting next to her who might be in the best position to relate to her biggest fear.

He looked at her for a long moment, considering, but then answered as if it was something he’d already thought about at length and come to terms with. “What can I do, Belle? No matter what else she is, she’s my daughter. I will love her and protect her from all threats, even from her own mother if need be. And no matter how much I might wish she had a different mother–” His eyes flicked across the room to Regina, now leaning over a map with the others. He shrugged. “It’s not possible. My daughter is who she is, and she will grow to be her own person. All I can do is love and support her along the way, and hope for the best.” He leaned over to kiss the infant he held, who twitched in her sleep at his touch.

“That’s really beautiful, Robin.” She wiped at her cheeks again.

The baby’s mouth had fallen slack again, so Robin set the bottle down and wiped his daughter’s mouth with a corner of her blanket, settling her against him before looking back up at Belle.

“If I may ask…have you and Gold talked about children? Is that what’s brought this on?”

“Have we talked about it?” The simple question brought her, without warning, to the brink of hysterical laughter. She covered her mouth with one hand, doubled over as she tried to not laugh out loud and draw the attention of the others, because she surely didn’t want to explain why she was on the verge of a breakdown. After a moment she managed to regain enough control to sit up again, to find Robin looking at her with genuine concern. “We talked about it…probably not enough, considering.” Her voice still shook slightly with suppressed giggles, and she didn’t know if it had been the best idea to hold them in because now she wasn’t sure if she needed to laugh, or cry some more.

“Belle, are you….?” He trailed off, leaving the question vague as if he feared a direct inquiry might send her over the edge.

She nodded, looking again to see if their conversation been noticed by the rest of the group. David and Snow seemed to be disagreeing over something. It was keeping the rest of the group distracted.

Robin followed her gaze and asked, “You don’t want them to know?”

“I hadn’t planned to tell anyone yet,” she confessed, feeling her roller-coaster emotions calm a bit. She felt like she could speak normally again. “But I was holding your baby, and it brought out a lot of feelings…I guess I needed to tell someone.”

“Yes. Babies tend to do that.” He smiled fondly down at his daughter. “After seeing you with her, I have no doubt that you’ll be an outstanding mother. And that Gold will be a good father.”

“It’s, umm…nice of you to say that about a man who once tortured you.”

“I haven’t forgotten. But I also remember that you rescued me. As for him–people do change, and a new baby can cause that change more quickly than almost anything else. I still have hope that Zelena will change for our daughter.” He stroked the baby’s cheek with the backs of his fingers. “Whatever else he’s done in the past, Gold clearly loves you. And he’ll love your baby. I’m sure of it.”

She nodded, sniffing a little. “Thanks, Robin.” She saw Regina look up from the table and start in their direction. “Would you mind not–”

“Not a word,” he promised.

“Ready to go?” Regina asked. “We should get out of here before Zelena changes her mind.”

“Of course. Thank you for your help,” he said to Belle as he stood.

“Good luck,” she offered, and watched as they gathered up the knapsack of supplies they’d gathered, along with Robin’s bow and quiver, and walked out the door, united in their goal of giving the baby her best chance.

Belle walked into the bathroom, still unnoticed by the others who were making their plans, and got water from the sink to splash on her face. She knew what she had to do, to give her baby its best chance. She gathered her coat and left, heading for the pawn shop.


	5. Chapter 5

It’d been hours since Regina and Robin left to find his baby, trailed by Zelena. Darkness had long since fallen outside and they had no way to contact them, to know if they were okay. Snow was really, really missing the convenience of cell phones and was on the brink of mounting a search party for the search party when the door finally opened again. Snow slumped in relief as Robin entered, carrying his baby, followed by Regina and Belle.

“So glad you’re back!” Snow rushed over with everyone else, to crowd around the new arrivals, to coo over the baby, welcome Belle to the Underworld apartment (dubious honor though it was) and make sure no one was hurt.

The initial flurry of activity caused by their return over, everyone gathered around the table to exchange information and brainstorm their next move.

“So,” Regina began, calling the meeting to order. “Belle told us that it was Rumplestiltskin who opened the portal that brought her, Zelena, and the baby to the Underworld.”

“Hold on, so his blood can work to open a portal back to Storybrooke?” Snow asked. “If that’s true, then why are we all still here?” She turned to Belle to ask for an explanation, but everyone started talking at once.

“There has to be more to it than that,” David shook his head. “It can’t be that easy.”

“What makes you so sure?” Hook asked. “How do you know the crocodile’s not just leaving us down here to suffer, while he gets chummy with Hades and they have a good laugh at our expense?”

“How dare you!” Belle raised her voice to carry over the general muttering and glared at the pirate, and Snow was reminded that while Hook’s centuries-old feud was with Rumplestiltskin, there was no love lost between Hook and Belle either. “He would never--”

“Whatever his feelings about the rest of us,” David interjected, “Gold wouldn’t leave Belle down here if he had a choice. If it were as simple as that, don’t you think she’d already be back home?”

Hook glared a moment longer, dividing his attention between Belle and David, before conceding the point. “Aye.”

“So, all of you think so little of Rumple that you believe he’d leave you down here even if he had a way to get you home?” Snow looked down as Belle scowled at the group. She didn’t know everything that had happened to Belle since arriving in the Underworld, but she was more easily provoked than usual. Then again, she’d always been protective of Rumplestiltskin.

“I don’t,” Henry answered.

“Thank you, Henry.” That seemed to mollify her somewhat, but silence followed her words, with no one knowing what to say next.

“Look, we have reason to doubt his intentions.” Emma moved over to Belle, leaning over to look her in the eye. “It wasn’t just his blood that opened that portal. Belle, I’m sorry, but…Rumplestiltskin is the Dark One again.”

“Yes, I know.” Belle said impatiently. 

Emma stepped back, nonplussed. “You do?”

“Yes, he told me. Wait, how did all of you know?”

Emma looked at a loss for words, and Snow was trying to decide on the explanation that was least damning to her daughter, before Hook spoke up, placing an arm around Emma’s shoulders.

“It’s the dagger,” Hook said. “Emma can still hear it whispering to her.”

“I followed it to the pawn shop,” Emma added dully, and Snow ached for her daughter, for the battle she was still waging against the Darkness even after it had been expelled from her body. She feared that the Darkness would never completely release its grip on Emma’s soul. 

“And then she used what she knew to bribe Grandpa Gold into bringing us down here. She threatened to tell you if he didn’t help us,” Henry said. So much for being circumspect.

“Henry!” Emma said, jolted out of her daze and gaping at her son.

“What? You did it, didn’t you?” He crossed his arms and met her gaze with defiance. “Not your finest moment, Mom.”

“Why is he choosing now to be a sulky teenager?” David whispered to Snow, and she only shrugged back. Perhaps it was the stress of the Underworld bringing out the worst in their previously amenable grandson.

“So to summarize, if you hadn’t blackmailed Rumple, he wouldn’t be down here at the mercy of—of whatever leverage Hades has on him. I wouldn’t have been pulled down here, and neither would your baby,” Belle directed to Robin. “None of us would be stuck down here.”

“Wait. You know what leverage Hades has on him, don’t you?” Emma pulled away from Hook, hovering over Belle again. “I know when someone’s lying, and when they’re holding back information. You know. What is it?” she demanded.

“That’s not something I have to tell you.” Belle shoved back from the table and stood, picking up her coat. “It’s not relevant to any of you. It was a private conversation. I’m done here.”

“Belle, wait!” Snow called, unable to believe she was walking out. Belle was normally more than willing to help, even if her assistance came in the form of research rather than fighting. But she had stormed out before, Snow remembered.

Emma blocked Belle’s way to the door. “You can’t hold back information that might help us understand Hades and get home. Tell me what leverage Hades is using, and I’ll decide whether it’s relevant.”

Belle let out a short laugh that sounded mocking, and stepped forward, forcing Emma to back up.

“Perhaps one day Emma, when you’re married to your True Love, and you’ve been through everything that spells and curses and Evil Queens and Dark Ones and scheming pirates throw at you to keep you apart, when you plan your future with him because you can’t bear the thought of a future without him…maybe then, you’ll understand.” She took a step closer, raising her chin to bring her on eye level with Emma. “Don’t ever try to come between me and Rumple again. You’re not the Dark One anymore, and neither are you,” she spared a glance for Hook. “Rumplestiltskin is, so be careful what demands you make.”

Snow gave a sideways look to her husband, seeing the same awestruck look on his face that she knew was on her own. Had Belle just threatened their daughter?

Belle brushed past a frozen Emma, yanking the door open before stopping at Robin’s call. “Wait a moment, please!”

She paused in the doorway before turning with exaggerated patience.

“Just one question,” Robin asked urgently. “Do you know why Hades made Gold bring her down here?” He indicated his baby, cradled in his arms.

“I’m sorry, Robin, but no.” She looked at his baby, and reached out to stroke her small head with a barely-there touch, something passing over her face. “I don’t know and I don’t think Rumple does either. He’s only doing what he has to, to protect--” She hesitated. “To protect me,” she finished. “If I find out why Hades wanted your baby, I’ll let you know.”

The door closed behind her and no one spoke for a moment, till Regina broke the quiet. “Well, there’s your answer, and it was a fairly obvious one. Rumple’s protecting his wife, no surprise there.”

“There’s more to it than that,” David said, nodding when Snow glanced over to him. He’d seen it as well.

“What do you mean?” Henry asked.

“She’s pregnant,” Snow announced to the room.

“What? How can you know that?” Regina asked.

Snow shared a look with her husband again. “I’ve been pregnant twice.”

“And I’ve seen her pregnant twice,” David added. “Did you see the way Belle looked at the baby? Snow reacted the same way to every baby she saw, with both her pregnancies.”

“Assuming you’re right,” Hook said slowly, “That means she’s going to give birth to a child of the Dark One. We may already know where the next threat to Storybrooke will come from.”

Snow was aghast. “She’s going to give birth to a baby!” she exclaimed. “Babies aren’t a threat.”

“Oh, is that why you took the evil out of Emma and put it in another baby?” Regina asked. “Because you were so sure she wouldn’t be a threat? Wouldn’t have the potential for darkness? Much as I hate to agree with the pirate, he could be right.”

“So if you believe that a child of the Dark One could be born innately bad, how do you feel about a child of a wicked witch?” Robin asked. “Do you believe my baby will grow up evil?”

“No, of course not--” Regina reached a conciliatory hand toward her boyfriend, stopping when her son spoke. 

“Does anyone think I’m evil?” Henry asked, getting shocked silence in return. “I mean, I was raised by an Evil Queen.”

Regina looked back and forth between Henry and Robin, holding both hands up in surrender. “I’m feeling very attacked right now.” Much like Emma, Regina couldn’t seem to escape the echoes of her past misdeeds, even from those who loved her. Snow wished she could help her daughter and her step-mother move forward.

“Mom, I love you, but you know it’s true,” Henry told her. “You haven’t always been the nicest person, and I turned out okay, right?”

“Of course you did.” She walked across the room to give Henry a hug. “And of course I don’t think your baby will grow up evil,” she said looking at Robin. “But there’s a big difference between a witch, and a Dark One.”

“Especially a Dark One who has the combined power of all the Dark Ones who came before him,” Emma commented. She stood next to Hook as usual and Snow was glad to see that he had his non-hook arm around her in a show of support.

“Exactly.” Regina nodded. “Look, I don’t want to look for trouble where there isn’t any, but I’ve known Rumplestiltskin longer than any of you. When I was his student, I made it my business to learn everything I could about the Dark One curse.”

“And? What did you find out?” Snow asked.

“Honestly, not much. They don’t seem to be big on keeping records of their exploits,” she said, looking at Emma and Hook.

“Definitely wasn’t a priority for me,” the pirate confirmed. Emma shook her head.

“But I can tell you this much,” Regina continued. “Nowhere, in any of the recorded history or even in the legends surrounding the Dark One, have I ever heard of a Dark One having a child. There’s no precedent for this, and the truth is, we have no way of knowing if the baby will be prone to darkness. I have no idea what to expect of a baby born from the Dark One.”

Everyone considered that. Was it possible? Could a baby be born evil? Snow looked at her husband and knew they were both remembering the horrible lengths they’d gone to, to prevent Emma from being born dark. If they suspected it of their own child, how could they not at least consider it for a child of the Dark One?

“Belle’s really nice though,” Henry offered after a moment. “It’s her baby too, right?”

David smiled and got up to clap Henry on the back, and the tension in the room eased somewhat. “Yeah, Henry. You’re right. And…” He looked around the room, making eye contact with everyone in turn. “It’s also going to be a baby born of True Love.” His gaze lingered on Emma the longest, and Snow watched as their daughter broke eye contact and turned away.

“He’s right,” Snow offered. She stood and went over to her daughter. “Emma…you were born from True Love and that’s why you’re the Savior. True Love can break any curse, right?”

“Right.” Emma heaved a large sigh, and Snow hurt for her, that she couldn’t seem to find her own happy ending. She’d been to Hell, literally. They all had, Snow thought, looking around. And they’d been here too long.

“Can we all agree that a baby which may or may not be prone to Darkness, which won’t even be born for months yet, shouldn’t be our priority right now?” Snow asked the room at large.

Everyone nodded assent.

“So let’s get back to work and figure out a way to get home.”


End file.
